3 Social Media Tips for the Best Healthcare Marketing

Over the last few years, social media marketing has gone from a helpful tool to a foundational marketing component for businesses and organizations of all shapes and sizes. This is especially true for healthcare providers and medical professionals who have a unique need to connect and maintain relationships with their patients. When used correctly, but carefully, social media marketing can provide your practice with an inexpensive, simple, and effective way to educate and engage with your current patients while casting a net for potential new ones. But simply existing in the world of social media marketing will not guarantee your success. That’s why our marketing professionals have dropped in to provide some tips on how to get the most out of your social media marketing.

1.) Communicate & Interact with Your Audience

You want your practice’s social media pages to have a unique, personal voice. If your posts sound automated or spammy, your audience will likely lose interest. It’s also vital that your page be interactive and that you respond to any patient questions or inquires in a timely manner. Today’s patient requires a timely response time. We recommend never waiting longer than 24 hours. This will help your audience see your social media page as a conversation that they can be a part of instead of a one-way street.

2.) Provide Useful Educational Content

Your social media presence provides the perfect way to educate a wide range of patients about various health issues that are relevant to your practice. While you don’t want your content to be overly stuffy or academic, it helps to balance more self-promotional posts with useful information on subjects that you know your audience will want to know more about. There is no shortage of misinformation online about health topics. Try to make your social media platform a source people know they can turn to for accurate, trustworthy information.

3.) Don’t be Afraid to Advertise

Even for medical practices and doctor’s offices that may not partake in traditional advertising, social media posts and ads can be a terrific way to help your message reach a wider audience. Since many healthcare providers are less interested in online advertising, there may be more room for your information to flourish. Utilizing advertising on social media can help raise general brand awareness, drive potential leads to your website, or help spread the word about upcoming events or promotions that you are offering. The best social media ads and posts are typically simple, clean, well-written and accompanied by an eye-catching image.

Marketing in the healthcare field requires extra attentiveness and caution. For example, you must always be mindful of HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) and other privacy regulations when operating in public platforms like social media platforms. When sharing links from other sites, make sure they are from legitimate, trustworthy sources. If you keep your social media presence active and professional, your time and effort has the potential to help foster relationships with your current patients while potentially attracting new ones. Follow along with us on Facebook, Twitter, and Google+ for more marketing tips, updates, and more. If you would like to discuss healthcare marketing options, please contact McCauley Marketing Services today to schedule a consultation with our marketing professionals.